Legal Services

Our Services

CrescentCare Legal Services (formerly AIDSLaw of Louisiana, Inc.) provides free civil legal aid to income eligible persons in Louisiana with legal issues involving matters related to or arising from their HIV status. Persons living with HIV/AIDS, as well as their loved ones, face a variety of problems requiring the assistance of legal professionals with experience in various areas of the law. Without the help of CCLS attorneys, unmet legal needs would negatively impact clients’ health. Many of our clients would face the loss of family, food, shelter, income, medical care as well as custody of children and personal safety.

In 2012, AIDSLaw merged with NO/AIDS Task Force d.b.a. CrescentCare. With offices in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, CrescentCare Legal Services is now a program of CrescentCare, a Federally Qualified Health Center.

Services Provided

Individuals affected by HIV disease, both those who are infected, as well as their loved ones, face a variety of problems requiring the assistance of legal professionals with experience in various areas of the law. The services we provide to assist with these problems include:

Last Will and Testament

Living Will

Durable Medical Power of Attorney

Durable General Power of Attorney

Burial Instructions

Simple Succession Matters:

Advise executors and beneficiaries on succession process to probate a deceased client’s Last Will and Testament, or otherwise receive the client’s property.

Securing Public Benefits

Social Security Appeals

Veterans Benefits

Benefits Overpayments

Food Stamps

SSI Disability

Medicaid & Health Insurance

Job Terminations/Wage Claims

Protection of Privacy

Unauthorized disclosure of protected health information (PHI)

Violation of confidentiality rights

Counsel, advice and education on criminalization laws for intentional exposure to HIV/AIDS.

Services Provided in 2017

Unduplicated Clients Served – 716

Total Encounters: 8,031

Units of Service – 18,142

Case Statistics (3/1/17 – 2/28/18)

523 new files opened

405 closed

119 open cases

Outreach & Education

Community legal education is a major component of our goal to help persons living with HIV/AIDS understand their rights and responsibilities in a broad range of areas, such as consumer injustice, discrimination, HIPPA, housing, public benefits, criminalization and stigma, health care and other areas of law.

The community outreach component of CrescentCare Legal Services can benefit yourorganization, clients and members in a number of ways:

We can send speakers to your organization to speak on any of the topics within our priorities.

We can sit at tables during your events and provide information and handouts to the attendees.

We can provide you or your organization with pamphlets and handouts about many legal topics.

We can send you or your organization a brochure about the services we provide.

If you would like someone from CrescentCare Legal Services to visit and speak to your agency or group about our services or any specific area of interest within our priorities, please call our New Orleans office at 504-821-2601 ext. 794.

Get in Touch

NO/AIDS Task Force d.b.a. CrescentCare is a Health Center Program grantee under 42 U.S.C. 254b, and a deemed Public Health Service employer under 42 U.S.C. 233(g)-(n). CrescentCare has Federal Public Health Service (PHS) deemed status with respect to certain health or health related claims, including medical malpractice claims, for itself and its covered individuals. CrescentCare’s three clinical sites are FTCA Deemed Facilities.